I'm using RPMI 1640 media from Sigma-Aldrich. Within 24 hours of incubation (37℃, 5% CO2) of DG44-CHO cells the color of the media is changing to yellow even with very low density of cells. I have checked for any kind of contamination, but that is not the case. Cells also seem to be fine. I have incubated 10 ml of
the medium in petri dish without cells and also the color still changing. In the last batch, the situation was not like that with the same medium, same FBS and same antibiotic
Also, when I prepared the medium without FBS and antibiotics I got the expected pink color, however once the FBS and Pen Strep were added (500 ml RPMI:50 ml FBS(10%):5 ml Pen Strep) the color is a faint red.
Why does this happen? Is it ok?? Will it affect the cell growth of the cells..???
Hi,
RPMI 1640 easily goes from pink to pale pink color this is normal when culturing the cells however if it goes to yellow color this is not normal this means acidity of your media increased and phenol red signals that.
I hope this helps,
Tugba
Hi and thanks for your response
The color of the RPMI 1640 medium usually changes gradually from pink to yellow with time. This color changing can be attributed to the increase of acidity through metabolites accumulation. My problem is that the color is changing to yellow fast (whiten 24 hours). At the same time, the cells are growing very well. One of my friends suggested to me that because my media is expired from more than one year, the properties of the pH indicator (phenol red) have changed and it has become more sensitive. He added that as long as the cells are good keep going....
have you experienced any situation like that? Tugba Mehmetoglu Gurbuz
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